Their bags were packed, the wives and kids had been kissed goodbye, a plane was idling on some tarmac somewhere.

“I haven't even really unpacked from the last trip,” guard Gary Neal said. “I took all my clothes out of the suitcase, washed them and put them right back in.”

Before the Spurs could embark on their third long road trip of the young season, on which they will play four games in four time zones, there was one loose end left to tie up Friday at the AT&T Center.

A 114-92 victory over Houston satisfied dual goals for the Spurs — they pocketed their 16th victory of the season, and with the miles that lie ahead, didn't have to waste too much energy to do it.

Tony Parker had 17 points and seven assists for the Spurs, while Tim Duncan turned in a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. More crucial given the trip that begins tonight in Charlotte, neither had to lift a finger in the fourth quarter.

In fact, no player logged more than Neal's 25 minutes, 41 seconds, for the Spurs, who never trailed and led by as many as 33 points in the second half.

Spreading the minutes around was a pregame objective for coach Gregg Popovich, who admitted he needed help from his players to achieve it.

“You never know what's going to happen,” Popovich said. “It could be a two-point game, and then all those guys wouldn't have played the same way.”

Not that the Spurs (16-4) are exactly weary of traveling. They have won 29 of their last 34 regular-season road games, dating to 2011-12, and lead the league in road wins this season with a 9-2 mark.

“It just shows the professional manner of the team,” Neal said. “We handle the road like we handle homecourt advantage.”

If the Rockets (9-9) had a chance to be more than just a speed bump in the way of the Spurs' next road trip, it disintegrated during a span of 3:40 in the third quarter.

Houston had closed to 66-58 after Jeremy Lin's transition layup with 7:27 left in the frame. Popovich called timeout and gently reminded players a game was still going on.

“We refocused ourselves at that point,” Duncan said.

A Duncan jumper out of the break, followed by three more quick baskets from Neal, sparked a 15-0 run that put the Rockets away.

By the time it was over, the Spurs led 81-58, and Houston was on the way to squandering James Harden's 29-point night.

The Spurs were en route to their eighth win in nine games — with the loss coming short-handed at Miami.

“That's what we strive to become,” said Lin — who had four points, four assists and six rebounds — of the Spurs. “You might see it in a great game, half, or stretch when we play like that. But we've got to get to the point where we're running the system.”

The Spurs held the NBA's third-highest scoring team to nearly 12 points below its season average while setting a season scoring high of their own. They also matched a season high with 33 assists.

The Spurs once again got solid production off the bench, with 15 points from Tiago Splitter, 12 apiece from Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills and seven points and five assists from Nando De Colo.

“That's something Coach Pop has made sure we focus on,” Mills said.

“From the first guy to the last guy, it's making sure we're sharp all the time.”

If Matt Bonner's dunk from Cory Joseph with 4:55 to go didn't signal the undignified end for the Rockets, De Colo's backdoor layup from Joseph moments later did.

By then, Parker, Duncan and Ginobili might have already had their feet propped up on the team plane, had the league allowed it.

“It was good to keep our minutes down, spread it around as much as possible,” Duncan said. “We want to have as much rest as possible and not take Charlotte lightly.”

Bags in hand, the Spurs headed for the airport not long after the final horn, on the road again.